Eva never really wanted to be a mother - and certainly not the mother of a boy who ends up murdering seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his 16th birthday. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood, and Kevin’s horrific rampage, in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklin.

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Eva never really wanted to be a mother - and certainly not the mother of a boy who ends up murdering seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker, and a much-adored teacher who tried to befriend him, all two days before his 16th birthday. Now, two years later, it is time for her to come to terms with marriage, career, family, parenthood, and Kevin’s horrific rampage, in a series of startlingly direct correspondences with her estranged husband, Franklin. Uneasy with the sacrifices and social demotion of motherhood from the start, Eva fears that her alarming dislike for her own son may be responsible for driving him so nihilistically off the rails.

It took me a while to get used to the fact that this story was being told through letters, which the mother had written. At first I thought, "How could this possibly work?" But, it does. By the end, it all comes together as to why the story is being told through letters. It kept my attention the whole time. If you want a chilling, psychological disections of a family "blessed" with a psychopath for a son, then you'll LOVE this book.

Narrarator was excellent. I'm sure I'm not the first person on here to say this, but I now have ZERO desire to see this as a movie. There's no way it could live up to the book. Very well done!

If you could sum up We Need to Talk About Kevin in three words, what would they be?

Chilling, engrossing, real.

What was one of the most memorable moments of We Need to Talk About Kevin?

There were so many exquisitely detailed moments that--forced to pick just one--I'm going to cheat a bit and choose a recurring theme, that of Eva revisiting again and again the birth of her son, and the emotions it did and did not stir in her. But there are many other situations in this story equally as memorable.

Which character ??? as performed by Coleen Marlo ??? was your favorite?

It has to be Eva, the narrator. Marlo's characterization never faltered--pitch-perfect throughout.

If you could take any character from We Need to Talk About Kevin out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I'd take Kevin, for all the same reasons Eva took him to dinner.

Any additional comments?

A compelling listen, one I'll listen to again at least once, and probably more. So richly textured that I'm not certain they'll be able to do it justice with a two hour movie.

Probably one of the most cleverly-written books I have ever read. The author weaves a tapestry so fine that the reader becomes more an observer who can't help identifying with the protagonist or questioning her actions, lack of action, and reactions. The exploration of family dynamics is brilliant and resonates

The story explores the frustrations of having a reasonably bright but completely puzzling child - one with enough differences to cause concern - but the perception is not shared by his father, which naturally leads the mother to question her own observations.

In a series of letters to her husband, the description of life with her family is laid bare - leading the reader through a series of events which collectively point to disaster. The problems appears to be ones which the family can not solve because they are not so serious that they could be attributed to a major defect in the son.

Apart from the background of the mother who, in this book, is extremely literate and her 'tone', initially, somewhat condescending, the reader soon realizes that this 'tone' is perhaps more defensive than otherwise. This tale could (and does) occur in far too many families - perhaps it may save some.

The subjects explored by Lionel Shriver are formidable. Multiple murders in children’s schools are overwhelming tragedies that leave parents, communities and the larger societies grasping for answers to WHY. Shriver writes about that subject, but then takes on a truly sacred cow: Is there a universal bond or tie between every baby and mother? This relationship is explored in the context of being part of the answer to the WHY question.

She uses a format of letters written by Kevin’s mother to his father while Kevin is in jail. His mother looks back over the family history before and after Kevin was born, trying to learn if and how their relationships may have caused his abnormal behavior during his younger years and his final rampage.

The writing is clear and direct. She treats the subject with sensitivity and compassion, but without sugar coating. It should be read (listened to) with an open mind, if possible. Maybe we need to examine some of the truths that we take for granted.

Highly recommended, it was riveting. I was so frustrated at the writer for creating a protagonist character who used too many big words until I realize that her character was multilayered and who WAS in fact, not faultless and very very pretentious, a question she asks herself then dismisses as simply being 'curious and intelligent and worldly'. The tension created in being drawn to the mother's corner only to turn around and question how likable she really is was one of the things I found so fascinating. The characters were so multilayered here and felt as true to life as most people are flawed. This will sound very gender biased but I was amazed that this was written by a man. The complicated and often conflicting emotions a mother goes through raising a very difficult and angry child were so precise. I say this because universally it's an absolute taboo for a mother to feel anything but love and adoration for her child. It may not be openly stated, but it's far more acceptable for fathers to feel ambivalent toward a child. I can not wait for the movie to come to town.

The author kept me intrigued because it was coming from the point of view of the mother of a killer. It takes you from the birth of her child to a sad and gripping climactic ending through her letter writings. Throughout the book you feel the bond or love? of a mother. It seems that Kevin's mother was the only person that he related to..... in the end. I think all mothers will be able to understand and appreciate this bond.

"We Need to Talk About Kevin" is one of those novels that provoke a wide range of emotions, which for some may be a bad thing. For me, it was an incredible journey. This story of a mother coming to terms with horrific acts perpetrated by her son is filled with honest emotion and bristling narrative, a combination that often leaves the reader/listened a bit dumbstruck at what is happening. A story that I won't soon forget, I was mostly enraptured by the story, with one glaring exception.

The root of good horror (in this case, a concrete, literal horror and not one of a supernatural kind) is in its accessibility. While this story feels like something that could happen next door, the nature vs. nurture battle that plays out often feels a bit too much of an indictment of "nature". Kevin's natural state seems to be one of violence and sociopathy, to an extreme that almost seems to drown out everything else that happens. Perhaps Ms. Shriver was trying to interweave the emotions of a reluctant and horrified mother with the state of a newborn, but in the end it felt too much like Kevin was bad from the outset. This led to characterizations that felt far away from "normal" life, and thus diminished, just a bit, the shock and horror at what was happening.

Despite this, and because of the brilliant writing and unique style, I found this book to be among the best I've heard in the past year. Highly recommended, I suggest that any potential reader be steeled against the heartbreak that comes so frequently with wading through this story. In the end, with whatever glimmer of hope you can take away, everything is worth it.

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